1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to hybrid virus. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to novel Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) based hybrid baculovirus capable of infecting at least two different hosts.
2. Description of Related Art
The baculoviruses have been divided into four genera: Alphabaculovirus (nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs) isolated from Lepidoptera), Betabaculoviruses (granuloviruses (GV) isolated form Lepidoptera), Gammabaculoviruses (NPVs isolated from hymenoptera) and Deltabaculoviruses (NPVs isolated from Dipter). While GVs contain only one nucleocapsid per envelope, NPVs contain either single (SNPV) or multiple (MNPV) nucleocapsids per envelope. The enveloped virions are further occluded in granulin matrix in GVs and polyhedrin in NPVs.
Baculoviruses have a restricted range of hosts that they can infect, which is typically restricted to a limited number of closely related insect species. Since baculoviruses are not harmful to humans, they are considered to be a safe option as biological agents to produce exogenous proteins in baculoviruses—permissive insect cells or larvae. For example, proteins produced by baculoviruses have been used as therapeutic cancer vaccines with several immunologic advantages over proteins derived from mammalian sources (Betting et al., “Enhanced immune stimulation by a therapeutic lymphoma tumor antigen vaccine produced in insect cells involves mannose receptor targeting to antigen presenting cells”. 2009 Vaccine 27 (2): 250-9).
What would be useful for the application of baculoviruses in industry or in agriculture, would be to devise improved baculoviruses with a wider host range that they can infect, hence allowing baculoviruses carrying genes of proteins of interest to be used in mass protein production method; or as bioinsecticides, for a wider range of insect hosts may be reached.